Artemis I: Could intense solar activity harm Moon missions and astronaut's health?

The year 2019 kickstarted the 10-year solar cycle which is making the Sun more violent. According to NASA, the Sun will reach the maximum of its solar cycle in 2025, which means that there would be more coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from its atmosphere. This has also made scientists consider the threats posed due to heightened solar activities to the lunar exploration programs which commence on August 29 with the Artemis I Moon mission.

Will intense solar activity affect Moon missions?

In a recently released report, the European Space Agency (ESA) said that the upcoming Artemis I or future astronaut missions are less likely to get affected by phenomena like solar flares and small to medium-sized coronal mass ejections alone. Since the Artemis I mission is uncrewed, there is not much concern over the solar activity, although it would help scientists gather data on how effective the Orion spacecraft is in blocking the harmful radiation and shockwaves. 

Notably, the agencies involved in the development of the mission are sending three mannequins to determine Orion's abilities to shield them from the harmful radiation. This issue is significant as the Sun's cycle will peak in 2025, the same year when the crewed Artemis III is planned. This crewed mission will see astronauts leave for the Moon and exit the Earth's protective magnetosphere which would make them extremely vulnerable to the charged solar particles and radiation. 

"Leaving the magnetosphere is like leaving a safe harbour and venturing out into the open ocean", Melanie Heil from ESA’s Space Weather Office said in a statement. Heil underscored that the radiation levels experienced during a trip to the Moon will be significantly higher than what is experienced on the International Space Station (ISS).

"Future astronauts will face higher risks from solar particle events. It is very important that we study the radiation environment beyond the magnetosphere and improve our ability to predict and prepare for solar storms", the expert added. 

Scarily enough, astronauts on the Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 Moon missions had a narrow escape as a series of powerful solar storms caused widespread disruption to satellites and ground-based communications systems in August 1972. Had any of the explorers been outside the magnetosphere, they would have been exposed to lethal radiation poisoning.

"A 1972-level event will happen again, and if we don’t stay vigilant, we may have astronauts in space and outside the protection of Earth’s magnetic field when it does", said Juha-Pekka Luntama, ESA’s Head of Space Weather.